


Cottage Interlude

by chasingbluefish



Series: Discord RS 24Hr Challenges [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: First War with Voldemort, Fluff, M/M, Slice of Life, rs24hrchallenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-03-01 23:28:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13305609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasingbluefish/pseuds/chasingbluefish
Summary: Hope tells Remus he can have her parents old cottage to help the cause. Sirius goes with him to help clean it out and ward it. A slice of life away from the war.2nd Challenge.





	Cottage Interlude

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't make the deadline with this one. It was 12:00pm EST and it is now 8:53 dammit. RL got in my way and I'm not entirely happy with this but I'm going to post it all the same. 
> 
> Our prompt was as follows:
> 
> The theme is: Winter Moods  
> Use as many of the following concepts in conjunction with the them as you like: Spilled glitter, a dusty bookshelf, a locked box, a mutual interest, an unexpected guest
> 
> I didn't hit them all, but here you go!

The cottage looked abandoned. And really, for all intents and purposes, it was. Remus couldn't remember the last time he’d been to his grandparents’ old home. Certainly not since his early teens. 

 

It was tucked away outside of a small hamlet in a typically idyllic countryside. He remembered plants crawling up the old stone and thatch overhangs. Sloping floors that made marbles impossible, old books propping up any furniture that wobbled. There was a brook running through the back where many a frog had been caught and released.

 

Now the windows were dark and the stone was crumbling in places. One glass pane in the front was missing and he wondered what exactly awaited him inside. 

 

“Doesn't look so bad.” Sirius spoke up from beside him. “The snow makes it kind of...what’s the word? Scenic? Picturesque?”

 

“...I suppose.” Remus dug his hands into his pockets and they resumed their walk up the field.

 

Snow crunched beneath their boots and their breath came out in white puffs. After a few yards he felt a pressure on his coat and then Sirius was dragging his hand out, squeezing support through their mittens.

 

“It was nice of your mum to offer it as a safehouse.”

 

“Well...she doesn’t entirely know what it’s going to be used for.” The paler man shrugged. “I just told her I had some friends who needed somewhere to stay...bit of a sudden situation.”

 

“Still…”

 

“Made sense. No one knows the muggle side of my family and they've been gone for years. It's secluded.” 

 

“You alright?”

 

“Yeah....just. It's been a while.” 

 

Sirius squeezed his hand again, thumb stroking as much as it could through two layers of wool. Hand in hand they moved on.

  
  


Inside the pair stamped their feet at the door and a quickly performed lumos revealed a fully furnished living space beneath a layer of cobwebs and dust. Signs of creature habitation showed here and there but the place was surprisingly well preserved.

 

‘Merlin, it's cold in here.” Sirius grumbled, rubbing his hands together. 

 

“There's wood beside the fireplace. At least there should be.”

 

A quick look found five ancient pieces in the basket and he set to starting a fire while Remus repaired the broken windows. 

 

They worked in comfortable silence, warding the property as the fire warmed the cottage inside.

 

Sirius sensed that Remus wasn’t quite ready to talk about whatever this visit might be bringing up and so he tossed a rogue snowball before throwing an arm around the werewolf’s shoulders and dragging him back inside. A long line of summoned firewood followed and assembled itself neatly next to the roaring flames. 

 

Oil lamps decorated the mantle along with a supply of candles which were hastily lit and spread out. 

 

“Well...once we clean it up I suppose it can be a decent hideout. We can owl someone in the morning.” Remus was rubbing at the back of his head, eyes darting to various corners. There was an emotion there although Sirius was hard pressed to identify it. And as he always did in situations as such he went for levity. If you can’t fix it, at least try to make them smile.

 

“Kind of romantic really. Camping out in front of a fire. Candlelight. All alone…” 

 

“Not quite alone.” The fairer man responded with a hint of a smile, pointing at a particularly large spider above their heads. A perfect web sat in the corner of one of the beams.

 

“Well, she can share our food but I'll have to object to any advances she makes towards you.”

 

“I'll try my very best to turn her down. Promise.” Sirius noted that the colour was returning to his boyfriend’s cheeks and he seemed slightly less wound up than he had at their arrival. 

 

“I would hope so. I mean I know she has eight legs and incredible dexterity but…”

 

“I prefer your legs.” 

 

That elicited a quick peck on the lips and a small laugh before they hunkered down and managed to charm away most of the dirt. The old pull-out was dragged in front of the fire and checked for any inhabitants. It was still freezing in the two small bedrooms upstairs and apart from being a tad lumpy the sofa mattress was unscathed and more importantly, in front of the warmth of the fire.

 

“We can transfigure one of our sleeping bags into one big one?” Sirius suggested as Remus began to empty out their backpacks. 

 

“No need. Zip them both together to make one large one. Muggle trick.”

 

“Any other muggle tricks you want to show me?”

 

“I think you’ve seen them all darling.”

 

“Ohhh, darling. Are you about to ask me to do something?”

 

“Yes. Dig out the food while I look for plates?”

 

“In exchange for…”

 

“Plates.”

 

“Hmmph.”

 

Sirius dug into their spelled backpack to remove a particularly large cooler packed by Hope Lupin.

 

“Did you tell her we were only spending one night?”

 

“Yes, well, she thinks I’m too thin and she likes your smile so I’m sure there’s a hundred sandwiches in there.”

 

“And beer! Your mother is a gem. Lemon cake too. Crisps. I think I’m shagging the wrong Lupin.”

 

A Fork hit him square in the forehead.

 

“You won’t be shagging any Lupins if you keep it up.”

 

“Won’t be? That means I’m still in with a chance.” Sirius grinned roguishly and even though all he could see was the line of Remus’ shoulders by the cupboard door the eye roll was felt across the room. When he turned, old china in hand, there was a smile tugging at his lips.

 

Later, stomachs full and slightly tipsy on more than a couple bottles of beer Sirius went exploring while Remus stretched out across the bed.

 

“Well...your grandparents certainly had eclectic taste.” A calloused fingertip scrolled over the dusty book spines. “A Scottish cookbook? Who wants to learn Scottish cuisine?! Gardening guides...travel books. Victorian Railway Guide...ah, all the classics.” He paused in his perusal long enough that Remus sat up from where he was laying against their pillows. “Remus John Lupin there is an old motorcycle book here. Your grandfather had a bike?!”

 

“No...he wanted one but nan forbid it.” A warm smile curved his lips as he crossed his legs and leaned forwards, elbows on his knees. “There are probably a pile of magazines somewhere.”

 

“Your nan sounds suspiciously like you.”

 

“First you want to shag my mother, now you compare me to my grandmother. Have you quite forgotten how one goes about getting laid?”

 

“ Hush. I’ll win you back. I promise.”

 

“Promise hm?”

 

“Yes.” Sirius spun back around and threw himself dramatically along the bottom of the bed, head tilted,hair fanning out against the plaid of their combined sleeping bags. There was even an eyelash flutter. 

 

“You look like the cover of a Mills and Boone novel.” A crisp flew between them which Sirius somehow managed to catch with his mouth while maintaining full romantic lead pose. Only one hair drifted out of place.

 

“And now?”

 

“You still look ridiculous.” Another crisp was tossed from the bag and then another with increasingly creative trajectories until Sirius nearly rolled off of the mattress. Clawing his way back upright, the brunette lunged at his attacker and pinned him.

 

“Are you feeling better?” He asked, eyes searching. Remus met his gaze, quiet for a moment. 

 

“I’m...yeah.”

 

“Because you always say you’re fine. Especially when you’re not...and I could tell you were sad when we were walking up...and hell, we’re both pants at discussing feelings but you know I’ll listen if you want to talk, right?”

 

“Of course…”

 

“And from the cottage I can tell that your grandparents were nice people. You must have loved them and I’m sure you miss them…”

 

“Sirius…”

 

“Just...I’m here, alright?” 

 

For a split second Remus wanted to make a joke about the obviousness of the statement and the weight pinning him to the old sofa-bed but he swallowed it back. Humour was their fallback when things become difficult. Moments like this were a rarity with the stress of the war around them. 

 

“I know. Thank you.”


End file.
